When running, we typically hit the ground flat-footed, whereas when we walk, our foot hits heel first and then rolls onto the toe. Therefore, the walking shoe is different from the running shoe. Walking shoes are often lighter in weight, with more stability in the heel, a flexible sole and more bend in the toeContinue Reading »
Ankle sprains are one of the most common orthopedic injuries. In fact, more than 20,000 ankle sprains occur each day in the United States. Medial ankle sprains occur when the ligament located on the inner, or medial, side of the ankle is severely stretched or torn. Such injuries account for a small portion of sprains,Continue Reading »
You may have sprained your ankle several times during the past year and often feel a sensation of weakness, as though you are in danger of spraining it again. When you have had one sprain, other sprains may follow, indicating the presence of a condition called chronic ankle instability. Is there a way to makeContinue Reading »
Elbow surgery to reconstruct a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is a common procedure performed on athletes who engage in overhead throwing activities, such as baseball, tennis and volleyball, and gymnastics. In these activities, the UCL can be stretched, torn or otherwise damaged from the constant stress of overhead motion. To mend a torn UCL, aContinue Reading »
Running along the back of the thigh from the pelvis to the shin, the hamstring muscles are responsible for bending the knee, along with moving the hip and other lower extremities. Thus, when a hamstring is strained, or pulled, the rest of the body can be affected. With a hamstring strain, pain and mobility indicate theContinue Reading »
While any athletic activity has an inherent risk of injury, soccer has traditionally been considered less dangerous than, say, American football, hockey and lacrosse. Significant tragic events in soccer usually involve the goalposts; either the player hits the post or a faulty goalpost lands on a player.Fortunately, these events are extremely rare. Still, some dangersContinue Reading »
Your shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint made up of three dominant bones—the humerus, clavicle and scapula. The rotator cuff consists of a group of four tendons and associated muscles that collectively work to keep the arm bone within the socket of your shoulder bladewhile allowing your arm to raise and rotate. Although damage to the rotatorContinue Reading »
The term “country club elbow” evokes pleasant images of green lawns, polo shirts and tall glasses of iced tea. Unfortunately, this moniker refers to a far less pleasant condition: the combination of tennis elbowand golfer’s elbow—a chronic, painful syndrome associated with the two sports. The condition can cause a shooting pain down the forearm andContinue Reading »
Your physician has diagnosed you with shoulder impingement, but what does that mean? The classic symptom of the condition is pain when you raise your arm to shoulder height. The motion causes a narrowing of the space between the acromion (the bone at the top of the shoulder), the tendons of the rotator cuff thatContinue Reading »
Over the last 10 to 15 years, health care providers have focused more on using evidence-based medicine to determine what works best for their individual patients. This involves basing treatments on objective tests of effectiveness published in scientific literature, rather than on just anecdotal, subjective observations made in the office. While seeking out the appropriateContinue Reading »